세포이미징과 광역학치료를 위한 BODIPY 유도체 합성

Abstract

Boron-dipyrromethene (BODIPY) and its derivatives are among the most well-known types of fluorescent dyes in the mitochondrial imaging fiel because they have high fluorescence quantum yield, excellent absorbance coefficients and good photostability. By introducing two halogen atoms, BODIPY derivatives can produce singlet oxygen effectively through the heavy-atom effect, thus serve as efficient photosensitizers (PS) for photodynamic therapy (PDT). PDT is a non-invasive treatment for various cancers. It is a form of phototherapy that involves light activation of the PS to generate reactive oxygen species (ROS) that lead to cell death. However, most BODIPYs are hydrophobic, so applications such as fluorescent imaging in aqueous environments have often been hampered. Therefore, we synthesized water-soluble BODIPY derivatives that show good performance as PDT agents as well as mitochondria-targeting fluorescent probes. As a result, the BODIPY derivatives were water-soluble and showed absorbance in the near-infrared (NIR) region of the spectrum.